Village Zoning & Planning Part 2: Why Does It Matter?
Village Zoning & Planning Part 2: Why Does It Matter?
Currently as I write this article overlooking Sugarloaf Mountain in Carrabassett Valley, Maine, the drive out here gave me time to reflect on the make-up of the communities I passed. Now, you’re probably wondering, “Caitlin, what does this have to do with Planning in Ellicottville?” … but there is a point, I promise. Meandering through Maine where the communities seemed older than Ellicottville, I noticed there were no compact business districts like what we have in Ellicottville.. In our village, there is a predominant ‘business district’ with a downtown feel. Many of the places I saw in Maine are all residential style homes converted to hold businesses and it all felt scattered and started to look the same. That also could have been an effect of 10+ hours on the road, but I digress. As much as the scenery is breathtaking, it made me think how lucky we are to have the building pattern that our planning and village boards work diligently to preserve.
So what are we trying to preserve and how do zoning districts and site plan layouts play into this? I reconnected with Gary Palumbo, our Town/Village Planner, to discuss these topics. To paint a broad brush stroke, there are the following types of zoning districts: commercial, industrial, residential, low-density, medium-density, high-density, conservation and agricultural/residential. Within each category there can be ‘sub-categories’ (for lack of a better word). An example, Village Commercial 1 versus Village Commercial 2 or VC-1 versus VC-2. To make it even easier to understand, there can be overlay districts, in this case Ellicottville has one zoning overlay - the historic.
To start with the downtown, iconic parts of Ellicottville, the Historic District includes parts of the
Village Commercial Districts and Village Residential. “In the Village of Ellicottville, the Historic District is an “overlay” on top of the underlying zoning district. So the land use and dimensional standards are the same,” Palumbo told me. “However, certain exterior construction activities in the Historic District require a slightly different review for the purpose of ensuring the character and heritage of the Village are not significantly impacted.” In working with these design regulations, we keep continuity within the community and keep that “small town, pedestrian scale” look that our visitors crave.
The goal is to preserve built environments that represent the Village’s cultural, social, economic, and architectural history. “The Village’s Historic district has been on the National and State Registers of Historic Places since 1991,” Palumbo stated. By maintaining the historically significant elements and characteristics of the Historic District, the Village is at the same time protecting its attractiveness to homebuyers, residents, visitors and shoppers, and thereby supporting the local economy as a community which is partially dependent upon the tourism industry.
As we move out of the downtown area, we have the Village Residential (VR) District and Residential Development - Medium Density (MD) Districts. These districts “place their emphasis on a variety of single-family residential styles and densities. In the Village, the main difference is not in the types of uses that are allowed, but the architectural styles.”
The VR district is comprised of the older residential neighborhoods that contribute to the Historic District with many homes well over 100 years old. They are characterized by 1-½ to 2-story homes with prominent front porches and access to the rear where barns use to occupy the space where garages now stand. The driveways are along the side of the house, and garages are detached, typically behind the house. “Now, the Village MD district includes some older neighborhoods outside the Historic District and newer development of homes are located on larger lots than the VR District. In the new developments, homes are more automobile-centric with attached garages towards the front of the property. These homes can be more modern in style,” Palumbo said.
The big difference between the VR District and the MD District is similar to an older urban historic district and post-war suburban housing. One is not better or more valuable than the other; they are just variants on single family neighborhoods and serve different objectives. “The Village Zoning lays out the purpose for each district,” Palumbo advised. "In the VR District, the goal is to preserve the existing character and to encourage the continuation of the historically significant structures. While the MD District is also primarily a single-family land use category, it allows more flexibility in lots sizes, arrangement and architectural style.”
To move back into the commercial zones, there are three classifications within Ellicottville and I hear frequently, “WHY? Why does such a small area need three?” To this, Palumbo answered, “That’s a good question, Caitlin. Similar to the VR and MD zoning districts, I look first at the purpose or intent of the district. The purpose of every zoning category is also “aspirationally” described in the Comprehensive Plan.” (There are copies of the Comprehensive Plan available at ellicottvillegov.com.) The Village Commercial (VC) District along parts of Washington Street and Monroe Street are in the Historic District and similar to residential neighborhoods in the Historic District. “One goal is to preserve the physical structure that gives ‘main street’ its distinguishing character; row buildings with commercial on the first floor and apartments upstairs, oriented along the sidewalk and street, narrow lots/building fronts with large ground floor windows and numerous doors.”
These are all traits of a “walkable” central business district, which our boards have worked hard to protect and maintain. The newest addition of that is the EVGV Trail that will connect the Town and Village. They add to the attractiveness to residents and visitors; who doesn’t love to walk to the shops and restaurants we offer? However, Palumbo says, "The VC-2 and VC-3 commercial districts are off the main commercial streets and where the historic development was not retail. Another key difference is that some parts of the VC-2 and VC-3 Districts represent a change from previous non-retail commercial uses and today can be re-purposed for a mix of office, commercial and residential uses.”
With our final gear change for this article we take a look at the industrial district with a new emphasis on its repurposing. I asked Palumbo’s opinion on whether this is good for the village and his response surprised me. For background, there are two ways to achieve redevelopment of a commercial or industrial district. Our Town and Village comprehensive plans recognize that demand for manufacturing and light industrial development has diminished while recreational tourism has increased. “To serve that trend, it is understandable that landowners want to propose new uses that include commercial or residential uses in or on former industrial spaces.” The intriguing part: “On the other hand, as demand for tourism-related development increases, we need to carefully consider that once industrial space is changed to commercial or residential uses, it will be harder to accommodate future demand of industrial development – if and when that happens.”
Palumbo reminded us, “We need to remember local land use controls (zoning) can only guide and set parameters for development. The true deciding factor in land development is the market demand that triggers private investment.” So why does all of this matter if market demand is the true deciding factor? It matters because these zoning regulations give the municipality (YOU) a voice in how growth looks in your area and protects the interests of the community as a whole.
I will always end these articles with the notion that if anything struck your interest, get involved, go to public meetings and become an integral part of your community. For more information on Ellicottville visit ellicottvillegov.com or evlengineering.com